The Christmas tree is a star!

What do I  have in common with Ellen Degeneres, Jonathan Ross and Leona Lewis? Well yes, as well as being witty and talented (!) we've all had Christmas trees from Balsam Hill!

Our family usually gets a real tree locally but this year, with our puppy, we decided to go for an artificial tree so that we didn't have to worry about her eating pine needles. I was delighted then when the lovely people at Balsam Hill offered to send me a tree to review - their 4' Vancouver Spruce.

ALL I WANT FIR CHRISTMAS
The first thing I noticed was how nicely packaged the tree was. It came with instructions, some gloves to protect your fingers while opening the branches out (even though they aren't as prickly as real pine needles!) and a strong dust sleeve for storing the tree away until next year.

It was easy to assemble the tree - it comes in two pieces which slot together and fit into a stand which is provided. My daughter and I did it together with Christmas music playing (and there may have been some chocolate involved too!) Balsam Hill do sell trees with lights on but mine was unlit so I added a string that I had.

I'm a fussy old weasel and didn't like the stand so we put the tree in a pot instead and wedged it in with stones and gravel which worked really well.

We noticed that the tree was a realistic colour, a darkish green with brown bits, just like a real fir. It was a nice shape too, quite full and fat and not particularly symmetrical which helps it look real! The 4' size was just right for putting on a table top out of the way of inquisitive puppy noses!

RIBBONS AND BIBBONS ON EVERY SIDE
We decided on a red, gold and white colour scheme for our tree. If you've been following my blog over the last couple of weeks, you'll have seen my mini crackers, designer paper baubles and clay snowflakes...

... but we also added lengths of the gorgeous Stampin' Up gold sequin trim (which looks STUNNING in real life) left-over wooden snowflakes from the Many Merry Stars kit decorated with gems and ribbon bows made with lush Real Red satin woven ribbon. There was only one thing remaining - a glorious star for the top of the tree!

Er... no, I don't think that would work Nina!

Luckily I had Stampin' Up's star framelits to hand and was able to rustle up a rather glamorous tree topper by layering foil and glimmer paper and adding a couple of those left-over snowflakes that I'd covered in versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder.

HOW LOVELY ARE YOUR BRANCHES!
So, let's have a look at the final result:

I'm delighted! An artificial Christmas tree that looks pretty realistic, with no dropping needles to worry about, and decorated from top to toe with lovingly handmade decorations.

And what did Eva the pupsicle think of it?

Well, she had a quick romp with a stray bauble I dropped but was much more interested in her pristine (but not for long!) new polar bear friend!

Tuppence is far too grown up to waste her time batting baubles about (unless she thinks we're not looking!)

A HUGE THANK YOU
As always at this time of year, I think of how fortunate I am to have such a great job. It wouldn't be possible to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator without my wonderful customers and I truly do appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you.

If you'd like to buy Stampin' Up products from me, just visit my online shop - the shelves are full of the wonderful Stampin' Up products and it's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! It's easy to pay using Visa or Mastercard too. Go on, treat yourself - or better still, get someone else to treat you!

If you love Stampin' Up products and have a long wish list, it could be worth your while joining Stampin' Up. Find out more here.

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
And now it's time to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a lovely break. See you soon for lots more crafting fun.

Hugs,